Kamukha mo si Paraluman (You look like Paraluman)
Nung tayo ay bata pa (When we were kids)
At ang galing galing mong sumayaw (And you can dance so well)
Mapa boogie man o cha cha (Be it Boogie or Cha cha)

Ngunit ang paborito (But my favorite)
Ay ang pagsayaw mo ng El Bimbo (Is the way you dance the El Bimbo)Nakakaindak, nakakaaliw (Makes me dance, so entertaining)
Nakakatindig balahibo (Goosebumps-inducing)

Pagkaggaling sa eskwela ay dideretso na sa inyo (I would go straight to your house after coming back from school)
At buong maghapon ay tinuturuan mo ako (And you would be teaching me the whole afternoon)

Magkahawak ang ating kamay (Our hands are held together)
At walang kamalay-malay (Without us noticing)
Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko (That you have taught my heart)
Na umibig ng tunay (How to truly love)

  Translation by: fallen-aster.blogspot.com 

♡ ♡ ♡

|1995|

The 90s were the new era for pop culture. It was also the rise of multiculturalism and alternative media. It was uncommon for a child her age to be dancing to the tunes of classical ballroom music. Harley knew all the basic steps to Cha-cha and the Boogie-woogie. It was a form of dance her grandfather used to teach her when she was little. Her grandparents loved dancing. Every morning, before breakfast, they would pick up a record and start dancing to the playful tune around the house. When Harley was still a baby, her grandfather used to carry her and spin her around, letting her imitate the steps to the dance. As she grew up, Harley's interest in dancing made her take up ballet classes.

She mostly stayed with her grandparents because her father went to work during the day. Her mother, however, passed away when she gave birth to Harley. Dancing was the only thing that kept her busy from seeing all the negative tension she felt at home. Her father started seeing someone else and eventually married her who instantly gave her an older brother. Sean was okay. He was six years older than her. He would mostly ignore her at home and would interact when he needed something or when it was only necessary which was a good thing for Harley. She never really liked her new family. Her stepmother was a splendid actress. Whenever Harley's father was around, she was all nice and perky in front of the family. But as Gregor left the house to go to work, she would immediately turn into a malevolent enchantress.

Harley turned ten in the summer of 1995. She was having more ballet classes which meant that most of her time was spent in the studio. It was only a couple of blocks away from her house, using her bicycle to go there. In her free time, she would directly go to her grandparent's house to spend more time with them. Grandpa Frank was ecstatic to see her and Grandma Beth would always make sure that her cookie jar was full whenever she visited.

"How was practice today, sugar plum?" asked Grandpa Frank.

Harley beamed, "We're having our annual recital by the end of July. This year we're doing Swan Lake!"

"That's great news." Her grandmother interrupted, bringing in some cold milk and a platter of brownies.

"Yes and I'm hoping I would get a huge part of that play."

"Sugarplum, we're already proud of you. Keep doing what you love." Grandpa Frank smiled and pinched Harley's cheek. He couldn't help it. She was too precious.

Harley spent the rest of the afternoon with them. Before the sun was going to hide behind the mountains, she hurriedly went home so she wouldn't get on her stepmother's bad side. She was out the whole day practicing hence it came as a surprise when she saw the vacant house next door had movers carrying out large boxes and furniture from the truck. Slowing down, curiosity got the best of her, taking a peek at the new neighbors. It had been years since the house was occupied. The last neighbors had to move away because of the father having a new job in a different country. They finally decided to sell the house and bet they found a home to where they moved, she thought.

Two weeks passed by, she finally noticed that there were two cars parked on the new neighbor's driveway. Harley hoped that she could make a new friend and wished that she also like ballet so they could go together to the studio for practice. With wishful thinking, she carried on with her day.

It was such a big deal for Harley when they announced who would be playing the lead role for Swan Lake. She wasn't expecting anything, but she has hope for the role of Odette. When her name was called out to play Odile, the black swan, she couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed. Nevertheless, it was still a big role and she has to do her best. Ms. Jane, their instructor, congratulated everyone and made a speech to working hard as a team. Practice ended with a promise of a more grueling practice in the next few weeks. Harley didn't mind the challenge. Her adrenaline of feeling her feet move against the music was something she loved doing.

A day something she didn't really look forward to was a rest day from practice. It was a lovely Saturday morning. The sun was high up, the clouds were clear, and the breeze was gentle that was enough to cool herself from the summer heat. Despite the fact that she had to rest and stay at home, it didn't stop her from dancing outside the yard. She picked up her new portable record player that her grandparents have given on her birthday. Already warmed up, Harley practiced forming her body posture with grace and testing her balance. It wouldn't be long now when she would be wearing her very own pointe shoes. One of her dreams as a child was to fly. Anatomically speaking, humans were not capable of growing wings. In ballet, it was the feeling of being weightless that made her pursue dancing. Even if her feet glided the floor, it was as if her body floated in the air. For a brief moment, it made her feel like a bird, simply gliding in the sky as the wind guided her to everlasting bliss.

Harley heard the doorbell rang as she just finished her first piece. They never get visitors that often so she was curious who could be visiting her parents. She ran inside and hid behind an archway between the kitchen and their foyer. Taking a peek, she saw her stepmother opening the door. There was a couple, around their 40s, that greeted Jenna. Harley couldn't hear much of what they were talking about but the woman handed Jenna a small envelope. They were smiling brightly as they waved and bid goodbye. Jenna closed the door shut and resumed watching television in the living room.

  ♪ ♫ ♬ 

Gray sat by the window in his new room. He was strumming his guitar solemnly. It was a new state, a new home, and a new environment that his family would have a need to adjust in the next few months. Moving into a small town in Batesville, Arkansas was something his father looked forward to. His father was an engineer. He was assigned to a new job, leading a manufacturing company that fabricates metal into structures for building and heavy-duty machinery. All of these changes made the family move out of California. They let Gray finish middle school before they decided to move in the summer.

Now at fourteen, Gray was sulking because he didn't get a chance to spend the rest of his summer with his friends back in California. His family wanted to move as early as possible, so they could get accustomed to the town before school started in late August. With a forlorn look, he started playing his guitar.

A loud funky instrumental music was playing in the background that diverted him from his concentration. It surprised him and started to look out the window to see where it was coming from. His eyes landed on a girl that was soothingly dancing across her backyard. With the upbeat music that she was playing, she was incorporating ballet into something else. She was in a light pink leotard, her hair up in a neat bun. Gray was immediately distracted when he saw his parents walking up to their front door. When they rang the doorbell, the girl immediately stopped the music and darted towards the house.

  ♪ ♫ ♬ 

"Harley! We have to go!"

Harley didn't have time to straighten her hair, so she tied it into a messy bun. Grabbing her purple cardigan, she ran downstairs and she wouldn't want to anger Jenna any further. The new neighbor invited them for a small gathering into their newly renovated home. It was some sort of a housewarming party for them so Harley's dad actually bought wine for the occasion. Jenna told Sean and Harley to be nice and not make any trouble to embarrass them. They made their way next door and were greeted by a woman that was smiling brightly at their arrival.

"It's so nice you could make it. Come in! Dinner is about to start," The woman said enthusiastically, leading them into their warm home. They found themselves in the dining room with several other people that lived nearby. Harley was a bit uncomfortable at the number of people she has to mingle with tonight. She was looking around to see if any kid was around her age. She caught the eye of a young, teenage boy that has light brown hair with striking contrast to his dark gray eyes.

When they were all gathered in the dining room, the Matthews family started introducing themselves. Harley was all ears when Linda Matthews started introducing his only son, Gray Matthews, to everyone. Her interest peaked when she found out that he was into music and that he could play the piano and guitar very well. They were getting along just fine, she thought.

Everyone was introducing themselves. When Gregor introduced Harley to everyone, Gray's attention was all on her. It wasn't an instant attraction that he felt for her but mere curiosity with the music choice she just played this afternoon. Dinner started after a while as everyone has spread out to talk to one another. Gray was adamant to meet Harley that night. He circled the house until he saw her eating alone on the patio. She heard the door creak open, looking behind her shoulder.

"Hey, sorry. Harley, right?" Gray asked.

She nodded and went back to eating her food. Harley was feeling shy all of a sudden.

"I'm Gray."

When she didn't respond, Gray started talking about the music he heard this afternoon. "Interesting choice of music back there. I couldn't help but notice you dancing a while ago."

Harley felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment. It was different when she danced in front of an audience. But, to hear she was being watched was a whole new story.

"Y-you what?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to watch. My bedroom window's view is your backyard so yeah... I just want to let you know that you dance really well."

"Thanks, I guess?" She couldn't tell what to feel at that moment.

He chuckled lightly, "This isn't really going well, huh?"

All Harley could do was look up into his eyes with the heat rushing through her face. Gray sat down beside her. "What were you dancing to? Sounds cool."

"Ever heard of the boogie-woogie?"

"Not that familiar but I've heard of it."

"My grandfather taught me some moves when I was young. They like dancing a lot." Harley gave a toothy smile, remembering how her grandparents would go crazy over one song. "I could show you sometime."

Gray smiled, "Yeah I would like that. I'm stuck here anyway."

Harley's brows furrowed as her head also tilted into inquisitiveness, "Stuck?"

"School doesn't start in a few months. I might as well try and make a friend." He shrugged. There wasn't much he could do inside the house all day. Most of the neighbors that were here tonight didn't have kids of his age. However, Harley seemed to stand out among them. Her beauty reminded him of a girl from the 1940s. She was also passionate about something which could be a good distraction for Gray.

Her eyes lit up. She smiled as an idea popped into her head, "Do you want to be my friend? I could show you around."

"Don't you have any friends you want to hang out with? Don't worry about me."

"Well, I do but she and her family are in the UK for the summer. All I have is ballet," she pouted.

"Let's be friends then."

♪ ♫ ♬

Over the summer, their friendship grew as they have been spending a lot of time with each other. Gray would wait for her during the weekends because Harley didn't have practice. They would spend the day in the backyard with music and laughter. Sometimes, Gray would just do his own thing with his guitar while Harley practiced her pirouettes.

There was a time when Gray wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings because he was too immersed writing in his notebook. Harley hovered over as she tried to peek on what he was writing about, "What are you scribbling about?"

He didn't notice her immediately but was quick to close his notebook. "Nothing," he replied, looking up to Harley's light brown eyes.

"Well, I noticed that you had been working on that for the past few days. Why can't I see it?" She harrumphed and folded her arms across her chest.

He knew too well not to keep things from her because she was too persistent. She would eventually find out, one way or another. Gray sighed in defeat, "I'm trying to write music."

"That's awesome! Let's hear it." She squealed in excitement.

"No way," he grumbled.

"Come on! You watch me practice my dance. Why won't you let me hear yours?"

Gray gritted his teeth. He was too embarrassed to show her what he wrote about. It was something from his private thoughts which no one knew about. He scratched the back of his head, trying to come up with an excuse. "It's not done yet. Maybe when I finish it, okay?"

"So unfair," she mumbled.

Gray just grinned, happy that he wouldn't be able to show her the piece yet.

"Do you promise?"

"I pinky promise."

Naturally, Harley would be the first to know about it. The song was all about her after all.

♪ ♫ ♬

The school year started, and it was a bittersweet moment for both of them. As much as they enjoyed the summer together, Harley came to realize that they would be going to different schools. He was going to be a freshman in high school while she was stuck in 5th grade. Gray would eventually meet new friends, and he would forget all about her.

Surprisingly, for the first few weeks, Gray would hang out with Harley after school even on the weekends. They would do their usual routine, listening to music and do a little bit of dancing. Harley was doing the Boogie-woogie on her own while he just watched her with interest. She then grabbed his hands and started to pull him up, so he could join her.

"Harley! You know I can't dance," he groaned when she tightened her grip on his hands.

"You have to try it! You've been holding me off since we started hanging out," she pleaded.

Gray laughed, "Okay, okay. But I'm warning you."

Harley first taught him the positioning of the body which was the correct stance. Then, she had shown him the basic steps before they went together. They did it slowly at first, without the music. Gray was getting a hang of it as they did it step-by-step.

"Are you ready to do it with music?"

The music started and Harley swayed her hips as she lifted her right feet and moved backward then back to its spot again. She encouraged him to do the same but Gray failed as he couldn't get his feet to work with the beat. They practiced a little more until Gray gave up altogether.

He lifted his hands in surrender, "This is so impossible."

Harley just laughed, "Well it's easier than doing split mid-air."

"Are you being serious right now?"

She nodded laughing when Gray widened his eyes in surprise. He grumbled a couple of curse words that she shouldn't be learning anytime soon.

"Okay, let's try Cha-cha. It's a bit slower this time."

Gray was still skeptical but he tried it anyway. Harley put her left hand on his bicep and pulled him closer. He didn't expect the sudden closeness they were getting at, but Gray took a sharp intake of breath. She was explaining to him what the proper position was. However, Gray was paying close attention to her face. He saw how her lashes were long. Whenever she looked down, it would gently brush her cheekbones. He noticed a few light brown spots on her nose that made it seem that the sun has kissed it. At a very young age, Gray seemed uncomfortable with the feelings he felt toward Harley. He was sure that he didn't like, like her. They were friends.

"Gray, are you even listening? I told you to put your hand here." She pointed out the area where it should be. Gray just gulped and did what he was told. "Now, hold my other hand."

As their hands met, Harley didn't seem to notice that Gray was sweating profusely. He was nervous all of a sudden. It was an unusual feeling that made him question what was going on with him.

"Gray, you have to relax," she chuckled.

He pulled away, afraid that his thoughts about the simple contact with Harley would drown him. "I have to go. I'll see you, yeah?" Gray gave Harley a nervous smile. In fact, his heart thudded vigorously in the chest. Something changed that day, however, only Gray have felt it.

  ♡ ♡ ♡ 

Hello!

I hope you enjoyed the first part of The Last El Bimbo. Stayed tuned for part ii! <3

Thoughts? :)

PS: If you think the translation of the song is wrong, please do comment below. I just copied it off from a blog and I'm too lazy to translate it haha!

x Jovi